1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to the storage of ice trays in a refrigerator freezer portion where the trays are stored in a stacked orientation inside a bin using an elevator platform to insert each consecutive tray.
2. Description of Related Art
Ice trays and methods of stacking are known in the art. However, most are designed such that the trays themselves are independently stackable or are stackable within a container bin.
All of these prior art devices still have disadvantages when a tray freshly filled with water is inserted in the freezer. For example, as a consumer attempts to reach in and place a tray on top of another, water often times is spilled over to the side. If a tray already placed on top of a tray with frozen ice cubes, has yet to freeze and a consumer desires ice cubes, the consumer must carefully raise the tray with water and carefully pull the lower tray out of the freezer. This inevitably leads to some spilling of water more often then not because of the coordination required when a consumer at eye level is reaching away from his body to handle trays with fingers.
When other objects in the freezer do not stack well such as frozen backs of french fries or chicken fillets, or certain meats such as hamburger packages, they often slide to side against stacked trays which again may spill water if not yet frozen. Frozen water on the bottom surface of a freezer not only affects the efficiency of the freezer portion but if the water works its way into the coil portion of the freezer, then the coils may freeze over making the freezer portion work extremely inefficient.
Known related art includes the ice tray and storage container depicted in U.S. Pat. No. 3,670,523 to Fogt et al., the pan and ice trays depicted in U.S. Pat. No. 3,352,528, the stackable ice tray and bin assembly depicted in U.S. Pat. No. 5,830,379 to Tunzi, the container and ice cube tray assembly depicted in U.S. Pat. No. 4,789,130 to Stich et al. and the rotatable ice cube tray unit depicted in U.S. Design Pat. No. Des. 307,280 to Waller et al.
The Waller unit assumes that the trays contain frozen ice and the trays themselves are designed so that when the bottom tray is pulled, as shown in FIG. 7, a careful view of FIG. 8 shows that the next tray above the pulled tray will drop down, most likely starting from the back end, until it fully drops to the bottom surface of the bin. If any trays still have unfrozen water in the cube portions, water is certain to spill inside the bin.
None of the devices in the above references solve the problem of ensuring that any tray containing water is inserted while supported to prevent spillage, and is stacked in relation to other trays in such a way that the other trays are not tipped or fall over.
The present invention is an elevator ice tray storage apparatus which includes an ice tray storage bin having a bottom, opposite spaced-apart side walls, a back end wall and an open front end; and means for elevating ice trays to a first elevated storage position, said first elevated storage position having means for level supporting of ice tray side edges along the side walls of the storage bin, wherein when said means for elevating ice trays is lowered to its lowest position, a height between said means for elevating ice trays and a lower surface of a first ice tray being supported at the first elevated storage position is sufficient to enable a second ice tray to be placed on said means for elevating ice trays.
The means for elevating ice trays includes an elevator platform assembly in an overlying relationship to the bottom of the storage bin. The elevator platform assembly includes a base member which is in a slidable relationship with the underlying bottom of the storage bin, and a platform parallel to and above the base member, the platform constituting a platform for supporting and elevating an ice tray to be stored in the storage bin at the first elevated storage position.
A first riser member is pivotally connected to an upper surface of the base member near a back end of said base member. This first riser member is also pivotally connected to a lower surface of the platform at a predetermined distance from a back end of said platform. A second riser member is pivotally connected to the upper surface of the base member at a predetermined distance from a front end of said base member. As with the first riser member, this second riser member is also pivotally connected to the lower surface of the platform at a predetermined distance from a front end of said platform. The first and second riser members are the same height and pivotally connected so as to maintain a parallel relationship as the elevator platform assembly is manipulated.
The back end of said platform further has roller means which engage the back end wall of the storage bin and roll up and down the back end wall of the storage bin as the elevator platform assembly is manipulated to store ice trays in the storage bin. The back end of the platform and the back end of the base member are offset from each other such that the back end of the base member is spaced from the back end wall of the storage bin a distance greater than a distance of the back end of the platform from the back end wall of the storage bin.
In other embodiments of the invention where more than two trays are intended to be stored, that is, one at the first elevated storage position and one on the platform, the invention includes a second elevated storage position above the first elevated storage position or a second and third elevated storage position, the third elevated storage position being above the second elevated storage position. The second elevated storage position has means for level supporting of ice tray side edges along the side walls of the storage bin and the third elevated storage position also has means for level supporting of ice tray side edges along the side walls of the storage bin.
In operation, when a second ice tray is elevated for placement at the first elevated storage position, the second ice tray comes into contact with the first ice tray. The means for elevating ice trays then elevates both the first and second ice trays until the first ice tray is positionable at the second elevated storage position. The means for elevating ice trays is then lowered so that the first ice tray comes to rest on the means for level supporting of ice tray side edges at the second elevated storage position. When the third elevated storage position is incorporated into the apparatus, the third ice tray is elevated for placement at the first elevated storage position, the third ice tray comes into contact with the second ice tray, and the second ice tray then comes into contact with the first ice tray as the means for elevating ice trays continues to elevate, the means for elevating ice trays then elevates the first, second and third ice trays until the first ice tray is positionable at the third elevated storage position, the means for elevating ice trays is then lowered so that the first ice tray comes to rest on the means for level supporting of ice tray side edges at the third elevated storage position, the means for elevating ice trays then continues to be lowered until the second ice tray comes to rest on the means for level supporting of ice tray side edges at the second elevated storage position, the means for elevating ice trays then continues to be lowered so that the third ice tray comes to rest on the means for level supporting of ice tray side edges at the first elevated storage position.
It is preferred that the bottom of the storage bin includes means for guiding the travel of the base member in and out of the storage bin from the front end of the storage bin.
The means for level supporting of ice tray side edges along the side walls of the storage bin at the first, second or third elevated storage positions preferably includes at least one longitudinally hinged ice tray support on each side wall, each being parallel to and of substantially equal distance from the bottom of the storage bin, with each at least one longitudinally hinged ice tray support constituting a flap which is rotatable from a generally horizontal planar position of repose to a generally vertical position when side edges of the ice tray to be stored engage corresponding opposite flaps while being elevated to the first elevated storage position, and the corresponding opposite flaps returning to the repose position after each tray is elevated past a rotated height of the flaps. When the ice tray to be stored is then lowered, its corresponding side edges engage and rest on the corresponding opposite flaps.
When the ice tray is placed on the platform for elevated storage, the base member is pushed toward the back end of the bin, simultaneously allowing the roller means at the back end of the platform to vertically roll against the end wall of the storage bin and in turn rotating the riser members toward a vertical orientation until the platform elevates the ice tray a sufficient height so its side edges engage and upwardly push the first row of the corresponding opposite flaps, passing said corresponding opposite flaps at the first elevated storage position to allow them to return to the position of repose, and when the base member is then pulled back to lower the platform, the ice tray lowers and its side edges engage the corresponding flaps in the position of repose, allowing the platform to be lowered a sufficient spacing from a bottom of the ice tray stored in the first elevated storage position to further allow the subsequent placement of the second ice tray on the platform.
The means for guiding the travel of the base member preferably includes means for minimizing one of lateral movement, vertical movement and a combination of lateral and vertical movement of the base member as it slides in and out of the storage bin. In addition, the base member should include means for facilitating the sliding of the base member in and out of the front end of the storage bin while inserting an ice tray, such as handle means on a portion of the base member adjacent the front end of the storage bin.
In order to maintain some rigidity or at least to prevent the upper portion of the storage bin from spreading open which could make an ice tray dislodge from the supporting flaps, it is recommended that means at the top of the storage bin for maintaining the side walls in a generally parallel relationship be provided. This can simply be some bracing or strapping like members across designated portions at the top of the storage bin, in particular, at least across the front edge or near the front edge of the storage bin.
The storage bin bottom, side walls and back end wall may be continuously formed such as in an injection molding process therein making the joints integral, or they may be fixedly connected such as by adhesive or other mechanical means like fasteners, or a combination of such means may be incorporated.
It is not necessary that the platform be allowed to be lowered such that the platform, riser members and base member essentially lay on top of the other; however, it is recommended that a first support member vertically extending from the bottom of the storage bin near the back end of the storage bin for support engagement of the platform in its lowered position be provided, and a second support member vertically extending from an intermediate location on the base member of the elevator platform assembly for support engagement of the platform in its lowered position be provided. The first and second support members are dimensioned so as to maintain the platform in a generally parallel relationship to the bottom of the storage bin, yet spaced apart a desired predetermined distance.
If the riser members rotate 90xc2x0 or greater, it is possible that when the base member is pulled to start lowering the trays, that all the trays will instead come out of the storage bin at once and the platform will not lower unless the riser members are caused to be nudged to less than a 90xc2x0 orientation. If this is undesirable, then it is recommended that means for limiting the inward travel of the base member be provided so that the first and second riser members are prevented from elevating into this generally vertical orientation.
Although it may be preferred that the elevator platform assembly be readily removable from the storage bin to provide ready access for cleaning the storage bin, means for limiting the outward travel of the base member to prevent the elevator platform assembly from completely exiting the storage bin, may optionally be provided.